We all know the notch and Dynamic Island that adorn the screen of fashionable iPhones. But Apple is looking to solve the Face ID challenge completely under the screen, and a recently published patent shows us how to achieve this.
The new patent (via PhoneArena) is titled “Methods and Configurations for Under-Display Sensor Functionality” and was filed in March 2020 and granted on January 14, 2025.
Although the patent points out several conceivable places where this concept can be applied, the fundamental concept is to remove a subpixel from each pixel on the screen. Typically, there are four subpixels per pixel (one red, one blue, and two green), but cutting one of them creates a hole through which infrared light from a Face ID sensor can pass. The removed subpixels are different for each pixel and are intentionally placed to ensure there are no giant color holes.
Part of the patent also talks about removing parts of the display’s touchscreen layer, which would remove another obstacle between the Face ID sensors and your face.
While it’s easy to forget about cutouts on modern iPhone screens when you use them enough, they still take up valuable screen space. Moving the sensors under the screen wouldn’t require a notch, but the layers of the screen save you the sensors. as it should be reading what is on the other side. That’s why this patent suggests a compromise where the screen loses a few subpixels to make it easier to paint the sensors.
Patents do not guarantee that a feature will ever make it to a device that you can buy, and if they do, it can take years for a concept claimed through a patent to become a reality. So don’t expect to see this new demo version on the iPhone 17 or iPhone 17 Pro, expect it this fall.
Instead, there’s a chance we might see this used on the iPhone 18 series, specifically the iPhone 18 Pro since Apple rarely introduces new tech to all its iPhones in one generation. There have been rumors of this happening to the 2026 iPhone before, so hopefully with this idea given legal protection, Apple will integrate the tech once the development of the iPhone 18 begins.
Richard is based in London, covering news, reviews and how-tos for phones, tablets, gaming, and whatever else people need advice on. Following on from his MA in Magazine Journalism at the University of Sheffield, he’s also written for WIRED U.K., The Register and Creative Bloq. When not at work, he’s likely thinking about how to brew the perfect cup of specialty coffee.
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